European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 5, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                End of the line for a a chorus lineup or Ivl it Iru by Mervyn Rothstein new York times after 15 years a chorus line the longest running and one of the most influential shows in Broadway history is closing. The announcement was made at a press conference at the new Yorkus Shubert theater by Joseph Papp the head of the new York Shakespeare festival which produced the Michael Bennett musical about the dreams and tribulations of 17 dancers who vie for eight spots in a Broadway chorus line. Papp said the show would close March 31, after 6,104 performances but that Box office results could Speed or delay the closing. A i love dancers a Papp said. Quot they take blows in the most extraordinary Way. They applauded after i spoke and i was telling them they would be out of work. Its a key part of the show. They sing a i really need this  Quot Many theater people believe that Bennett s show revolutionized the Way musicals Are staged produced and written. Quot it altered our concept of the relationship of a Book to a score Quot the composer and lyricist Maury Yeston once said. Quot it created a form in which a series of monologues linked by an idea could support an evening of  a chorus line showed that the workshop process could also work artistically and financially in mounting a Broadway musical. The show has also been a Bonanza for the new York Shakespeare festival which has made a net profit on it of $37.8 million. Papp said in 1987 that it had been the Shakespeare festival s main source of income for five or six years and had made possible an endowment for the presenting of free Shakespeare in Central Park the festival latino and Many productions at the Public. Papp said that since the beginning of january the show had lost about $40,000 to $50,000 a week. The Broadway production of a chorus line which Cost $1,147,000 to produce in 1975, has grossed As of feb. 19, $146,463,750 for the new York Shakespeare festival. The festival sponsored International company took in $66.6 million its National company $48.9 million and its smaller bus and truck touring company $15.6 million for a total of about $277.5 million. As of feb. 196,543,058 people had seen a total 510 performers at the Shubert. Millions More have seen the show worldwide in 22 countries. The show was the creation of Bennett who died in 1987 at 44 and through his work on company follies and dream girls As Well As on a chorus line was a major influence on the american musical theater. The director and choreographer conceived a chorus line in 1974 after holding late night talks Over Coffee and sandwiches from a nearby Delicatessen with groups of dancers who told him about their Hopes and the problems they had encountered in pursuing a life on the Broadway stage. He played for Papp the 40 hours of taped conversations he had made and persuaded the producer to pay for a workshop to try to transform the dancers experiences into a musical. Bennett got Marvin Hamlisch to compose the music de Kleban to do the lyrics and James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante to write the Book. A workshop began at the Public. The show was so unusual that throughout the Long workshop process Many of those involved wondered if it had any Chance for Success. A if you had called me any Day in the year we worked on the play Quot Kleban remarked some years ago Quot and said a what do you think a id have said a no  i remember talking to a Friend the week before it opened. Id been paid $500 for my whole years work and i said i did no to know if that would be it or if id make a  the musical was first presented on april 16, 1975, at the 299-seat Newman theater part of pappus Public theater Complex. Word of Mouth was immediate. Theater people flocked to see a show that they were told had captured the pain love and compelling desire of All those who strive to make it in show business. When the show opened on May 21,1975, the critics agreed. A chorus line moved to the Shubert on july 25,1975, and opened officially on oct. 19 a delayed by a musicians strike. It won nine Tony awards including Best musical Best choreography and direction for Bennett and acting awards for Donna Mckechnie Sammy Williams and Kelly Bishop. Bob Avian shared the choreography award with Bennett Kirkwood and Dante won for Best Book Hamlisch and Kleban for Best score and Tharon Musser for lighting. The show also won the pulitzer prize and the new York drama critics Circle award. Papp has said that a chorus line fulfilled his aspirations of linking the artistic theater to the commercial theater. Indeed one of the most successful shows in the commercial theater was produced by a nonprofit organization. On sept. 29,1983, a chorus line gave its 3,389th performance surpassing the musical grease the record Holder at the time and becoming the longest running musical in Broadway history. That night a spectacular performance specially staged by Bennett included 332 singers and dancers who had previously been in the show. Despite the Success of a chorus line it did not translate Well on the movie screen. The 1985 film directed by Richard Attenborough was a critical and Box office disappointment. A number of people involved in the show have died in recent years. Bennett was stricken with aids and died of Lymphoma on july 2,1987 Kleban died of cancer of the Mouth in december 1987 at 48, and Kirkwood died last april of cancer. Quot this is a classic a Bob Avian said at the press conference Quot and classics never die. It la be Back on Broadway in five years 10 years with your children in the  As Ken Mandelbaum relates in his Book a chorus line and the musicals of Michael Bennett shortly before Bennett died his lawyer John Breglio asked if there was anything the director wanted done or said after his death. Quot Tell them Quot Bennett replied Quot no show runs  every year i Promise myself that in a going to Spring for a new bathing suit. I have just leafed through the swimsuit Issue of sports illustrated previewing the new beachwear. This Isnit the year. Its not that my old suit has sleeves and feet in it. Its just that its Quot modest Quot by today s standards and you can to get them anymore. You probably remember my suit. Its a one piece Blue and White polka Dot with Industrial strength straps a generous drape Over the stomach and enough rubber to support an 18-Wheeler. It has the same elasticity As the stomach of a Mother of nine. But that suit is always there for me. Whatever shape my body takes during the Winter the old Blue and White polka Dot covers it. For years swimsuit manufacturers naively have operated under the theory that Quot All women Are created  they simply cannot imagine there a a stomach out there that when covered with Gold lame looks like a Capitol dome. Or that Many women have erosion on the backs of their Knees that looks like a Relief map of California s freeways. I honestly thought this would be the year when i would retire the old Blue and White polka Dot. While i was browsing through the rack of swimsuits recently i was sure i saw a replacement for it. It was Black which is always a Good Start had a High neck and was one piece. I took it into the fitting room. Quot How Are we going in there Quot the salesperson asked from the other Side of the door. I looked at my reflection in the Mirror. The legs of the suit went All the Way up to my armpits. The neck was High All right but the front was a panel with no sides. When i turned to glimpse my backside it occurred to me i wore More clothes when i took a Shower. What did the salesperson mean Quot How Are we doing in there Quot would she ask Zsa Zsa Gabor if she was going to the policeman a Ball would she ask Donald Trump if he wanted an extra charge card in his wife s name she had to be a Lump of insensitivity who would try to sell suspenders to Mike Tyson now that he had lost his Belt i positioned myself in front of the crack of the door and whispered Quot if your eyes fall on this body you will turn to Stone. Later As i brushed against the Racks of Little bikinis that looked like snack crackers i wondered if 15 or 20 years Down the line someone would still be wearing one of them exclaim Quot i m hanging on to this old thing until suits show less  not possible. _ v aaa Dymkar l a a a the stars and stripes monday March 5,1990